Yves Saint Laurent Is the Focus of a New Museum in Marrakech

Yves Saint Laurent’s life and work is the catalyst for a museum set to open in Marrakech next fall. In reverence to the fashion designer’s French roots, the layout for the 43,060-square-foot museum was designed by French architecture firm Studio KO and its founders, Olivier Marty and Karl Fournier. The modern building will incorporate Moroccan earth bricks and cubic forms in an effort to seamlessly blend into its sleek desert surroundings. Paying homage to fashion, the pattern for the terra-cotta exterior will emulate fabric threads, while the museum’s interior walls will have the smooth, silky feel.

The space will house an impressive selection of over 5,000 articles of clothing and 15,000 haute couture accessories. The pieces were selected by Yves Saint Laurent’s former CEO, Pierre Bergé, who has worked over a decade to help the legacy of the late designer, his partner in both life and business. The collection will include thousands of sketches by Saint Laurent and one-of-a-kind objects, as well as a state-of-the-art preservation system that regulates moisture and temperature to ensure the preserved archival condition of each article of clothing. The facility will also include a 130-seat auditorium, a restaurant, a gift shop, and an accompanying research library with access to over 5,000 books.

The museum will stand adjacent to Marrakech’s popular tourist attraction, the Jardin Majorelle, a botanical garden in the heart of the city that also contains the Islamic Art Museum.

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